Parallels
by Guardian1
Summary: Where exactly was Seifer Almasy during the infamous ballroom scene? (Bowings and scrapings to Lady Illyna, she did it first.)


_Congratulations must go to Lady Illyna and her latest fic - I must  
admit that it kick-started my writing muse, and thus I applaud her  
by generally stealing her scene. It's your fault. You inspired  
me too much Keep writing or I'll get out my patented Writing  
Whip. Everyone go read 'Watching', okay?_

_

* * *

**Parallels**__

* * *

_

Seifer Almasy stared morosely into the night at the top of the roof of  
the ballroom. Life was fucked, everything was fucked, hell, _he_  
was fucked - what kind of pathetic loser got rejected from SeeD and  
someone like Zell Dincht got in place in their stead?

He didn't hate Squall for getting in. He knew Squall. Like the back  
of his gunblade.

Maybe he would have preferred it otherwise.

Seifer took care to stay away from the dip in the ceiling so he  
didn't step in the skylight. Not that anyone would entirely _care_  
if he stepped through and went crashing to the ground below.

"SEIFER?"

Well, mostly everyone.

Seifer turned around, looking directly at his silver-haired Posse  
member. "What do you want, Fujin?" he asked, only slightly regretting  
the harshness of his voice.

She approached, unfazed. "ALONE," she stated. "COMPANY?"

"Don't need company," he muttered, but he was either too pathetic  
or too sad to really enforce it and slumped onto his knees. Fujin  
sat beside him, looking carefully down at the dancers and bright lights  
below in the ballroom.

They sat in companionable silence for a while.

"Guess I failed again," he mentioned after a while, trying to keep  
his voice light but hating the bitterness that edged in. "Guess  
SeeD's got a phobia about fuckers who get things done, huh?"

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin said solemnly.

"Shit, Fuu, just _talk_ to me for a change." _Don't let me  
keep on talkin' on my own. I'm scarin' myself._

She looked at him, and then looked away again. Something in his voice,  
a note of pleading, must have struck her, because she after a while  
she lowered her voice. "You deserved to get in a long time ago.  
Better than all of them."

Ah, the voice of reason, crushed velvet and the echo of the wind.  
"Flatterer. Where's Raijin?"

"Bed. He tired himself out." Oddly, she gave a little, humourless  
chuckle. "He's been talking... nineteen to the dozen today."

Seifer nodded, and glanced down through the glass, eyes quick and  
alert.

"Looking for someone?"

"Rinoa," he said absently. "I told her to come here for Cid tonight.  
She's probably looking for me."

Fujin nodded crisply, looking down at the pattern of dancers again.  
"Probably wanted a dance, too. She's that kind of girl. Not like you,  
Fuu, huh?" The comment was meant for a joke, but he didn't notice it  
falling flatter than a pancake. He stood up, brushing himself off.  
"Damn it all if I've forgotten how to dance, though."

She looked at him with pity in her eyes, and he knew that he was  
rambling pathetically.

"Remember how we all learnt?" he continued, rushing headlong into his  
private hell, helpless. "Twelve, weren't we?"

_"Now this is the first thing needed in a social situation,"  
Instructor Gabriel said crisply. "Everyone, pick a partner - " _

The area cleared in all of three seconds and Seifer ended up staring  
at the last person in the room...

"Can't remember who the hell I first danced with. Do you?"

Fujin stood, then shook her head mutely.

The music ended, then struck up a different song.

An almost manic look came into his eyes, and Seifer felt almost giddy.  
Nothing left to lose now, was there? Welcome to the land of 'Nobody  
Gives a Damn'.

He grabbed Fujin's hands almost absently and pulled her towards him.  
She gave out a surprise cry and stumbled as he placed her hands in  
all the right places, her hands awkwardly being guided by his as a  
hot blush spread over her face. Seifer ignored her embarrassment;  
_I know Fuu hates stuff like this, but she can humour me for one  
damn moment._

The muted strains of the orchestra filled the area, and almost  
tenderly for him, Seifer Almasy began to twirl Fujin around the small  
area before the skylight. She fell into step subtly, following  
his lead, and the steps were so ingrained inside his head that he  
barely missed one -

And then a flash of white caught his eye as he stopped by the  
skylight and he stared.

A pair of dancers caught his eye in the crowd and his jaw clenched  
involuntarily; angel Rinoa, beautiful, white-clad, shallow, dancing  
Rinoa was clasped in a bemused Squall Leonhart's arms as they  
finished up the dance. She was so beautiful that he could have  
felt his heart break, had it not broken a few seconds earlier.

"Always the tallest man around, eh, Rinoa?" he whispered softly,  
somehow unsurprised.

Fujin craned her head around and he was suddenly startled a little by the  
closeness of her, how docilely she'd submitted to him. Sometimes  
he forgot she was a woman, but the girl who was all hard angles  
seemed to be awfully soft in his arms, his chin brushing her hair -

_The room cleared in all of three seconds and Seifer ended up staring  
at the last person in the room; a small, delicate, pale thing, eyes  
staring crimson out of a silver mop of hair, arms folded in  
desperate defense - and he gladly partnered her. _

He pushed her away but the feeling was mutual, as both stumbled back  
out of the void of somewhere they hadn't gone before. Somewhere Seifer  
couldn't go, for fear of falling further into darkness and bringing  
everyone with him -

Fujin stared at him, her look unreadable, before making a silent  
exit down the ladder from the roof. His heart was in too much turmoil  
to take much notice.

He turned back to the dancefloor and watched Squall and Rinoa  
come close together. For a moment he thought they saw him, but they  
were only admiring the fireworks being shot behind the building;  
then Rinoa broke away, leaving a dejected Squall behind her on the  
dance floor.

_Know how it feels now, Squall?_

Seifer turned away and shook his head to clear it, before tracing  
Fujin's steps and slowly making his way back to the Disciplinary  
Room. If Quistis had more the sense than he suspected, she might  
notice that he was gone.


End file.
